Russell Wilson seemingly responds to charity investigation: 'We will always care more about impact than credit'
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Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson was placed under scrutiny after the findings of a six-month USA Today investigation alleged that his Why Not You foundation, which helped Wilson win the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award in 2020, spent twice as much money on its employees as it contributed to charitable activities.
Wilson took to social media on Saturday and shared a minute-long video that seemed to respond to the report.
“This means the world to me, has meant the world to me and will forever mean the world to me,” Wilson said to begin the video. “I just gotta say something. For our Why Not You foundation over the past eight years we’ve been so freaking blessed to meet so many amazing people, so many amazing kids along the way and to be able to also partner with some amazing brands."
He captioned the post, “We will always care more about impact than credit,” and tagged his wife Ciara and the foundation they founded together in 2014.
USA Today alleged that the nonprofit gained so much acclaim because it boasts charitable partnerships with other organizations rather than its own contributions.
“With those partnerships we’ve been fortunate to be able to drive over 10 plus millions of dollars for pediatric cancer, for education and for hunger prevention and so much more,” Wilson said in his social media message. “Those are the things that haven’t really been highlighted and talked about, but I just want to highlight those things.”
Why Not You Foundation executive director Shayla Tait released a written statement Wednesday that Wilson echoed almost exactly.
According to federal tax records obtained by USA Today, the foundation spent $600,000 on charity and $1.1 million on employee salaries and benefits from 2020 to 2021. The Why Not You Foundation essentially spent 21.3 cents of every dollar on charitable activities in 2020 and 27.2 cents of every dollar on charitable activities in 2021.
Ryan Tarpley, the CEO of the foundation who also works for Ciara and Russell Wilson’s family office, made more than $200,000 annually the past two years, while executive director Carly Young earned more than $150,000 annually. Scott Pickett, the foundation's CFO who is also the president of Wilson’s brand management and production company, made around $60,000 per year for part-time work.
Andrew Morton, a nonprofit oversight attorney, told USA Today that he thinks there is a “high probability” the IRS could penalize the foundation for excessive benefits.
“We’re going to keep learning, we're going to keep growing, we’re going to keep getting better. But also too, we’re going to keep serving,” Wilson said to conclude the video.
